5 Things Great Indigenous Musicians Have in Common
Photo by Ivan Sawyer Garcia / Voices of Amerikua
3 minute read
Music coming from traditional indigenous communities is truly divine. Why are indigenous musicians unique? Here are five great things that they have in common...
1. Ancestral Territory in Nature
Indigenous people come from a territory that their ancestors have lived upon generation after generation. Great indigenous musicians growing up with an intimate relationship to their land, often sing about the beauty of their natural environment. For a great deal of time many indigenous communities have maintained sovereignty from the western world, and have a different system of perception and expression.
While visiting the Cofan tribe in the Northern Ecuadorian Amazon, I was able to witness some of the most profound music I've ever heard during a traditional yage ceremony. I asked my friend, Alex, a young Cofan musician, where the power of their music comes from. He told me that they are a part of the jungle and that there is no separation between their territory and themselves when they sing.
2. Relationship with Plant Medicine
Sacred plant medicines such as ayahuasca, rapé, and cacao have existed for thousands of years as an integrated part of indigenous cultures. These plants allow the individual to bring forth their higher self and connect with greater clarity to their environment. Each culture has its unique wisdom and practice with various plants.
The Huni Kuin people of the Brazilian Amazon Rainforest (photo) have a beautiful practice with rapé; a powdered blend of medicinal herbs that are taken through the nose. Rapé is used to induce visions, to elevate energy, and to enhance the senses. While in Brazil I visited the Huni Kuin and participated in a rapé session. After sharing the medicine they began to sing and I felt them activate the force of the medicine and open a channel where life force energy was transmitted into my entire being.
3. Mentor and Disciple
Every musician began learning from a relationship. Today one may acquire skills through an online tutorial video. In indigenous communities the relation is more often between a mentor and disciple. The teacher is the inspiration and guiding force that allows the musician to learn the basics and excel in his or her own unique way. The greatest of musicians have an incredible teacher.
While filming for The Roots Awaken, I visited a young indigenous musician from the Shiwiar tribe, in the Southern Ecuadorian Amazon. With his father by his side they carried traditional bamboo flutes, as we took a short canoe ride to a special waterfall. As I felt the mist from the falls touch my cheeks, the ancient sound penetrated my soul. I asked the son how he acquired great skills. He told me it was because of the closeness of his relationship with his father that he was able to become a great traditional musician, despite the influences of western music.
4. Original Indigenous Language
In South America, there are over 450 native languages. Within each language there is a diverse way of perceiving and expressing the world. For anyone who speaks more than one language, it is easy to understand that certain emotions expressed in one set of words may be difficult to translate into another language. That is the beauty of the diversity of dialect.
While traveling throughout various regions of the Andes I came across a magnificent group of hip hop musicians, who sang in their native language, Kichwa. It was the first time I heard rhyme and rhythm in an ancient language from the Incan empire. It was undeniable that there was great power in these musicians because their lyrics were expressed in their native tongue.
5. Community
People form and maintain communities to meet desires and needs, as they share a set of common feelings and relationships. Indigenous communities are based on a great web of exchanges that connect the vital aspects of life. Many great indigenous musicians come from traditional communities; where they grow up living among their cousins, uncles, aunts, and close neighbors. Together among their relations creation of music becomes a part of daily life.
While in the indigenous community Sarayaku, I attended a traditional festival, "Fiesta de Pachamama", celebrating the abundance of mother earth. During the gathering, we walked from house to house to drink chicha and listen to traditional music underneath the thatched amazonian roofs. We must have visited over 40 houses in one day, walking through the community. I observed that the beautiful music came through the power of the collective, not the individual. Everyone singing together with the shared feeling of appreciation for the abundance that our earth provides us with was what made the music tremendous.
Written by Kumiko Hayashi - kumiko@therootsawaken.com